Heat exchanger



Patented -Mar. 25,- 1930 UNITED STATES,

' PATENT OFFICE WALTER nnnsoii PHILLIPS, or LIBERTY, MIssoURI, Assume r0 WALTER M. cRoss,

. or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI HEAT ,IEXCHANGER This invention relates to improvements in heat exchangers and refers more particularly to a construction in which fluids in the form of either liquids or gases are passed out of contact but in heat exchange relation to transmit heat from one medium to another.

This application is an improvement on a prior application filizl in the name of Walter M. Cross, under Ser' 1N0. 7 9,772, dated January 7, 1926.

Fig. l is a sectional view of the construction of the heat exchanger.

F Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line AA,

Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are end views of the spacers adapted to be used in connection with the heat exchanger construction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective detailof a portion of the construction.

Referring to the drawings, corrugated sheets 1 of metal are placed so that the bottoms of the corrugations on one sheet and the tops of the corrugations on anotherare made to register or contact to form tubular passageways or ducts between the corrugated sheets. Two sheets when placed in this manner constitute one set or envelope and this nomenclature will be followed in'the following description.

These sets of sheets are then placed so that the corrugations of each set enmesh with the corrugations of the adjoining sets of sheets, as shown in Fig. 1. Between the'sets of corrugated sheets are then placed at intervals spacers such as that shown at 3 in Figs. 2 and 6. Spacers of modified form are those designatedas 4, 5 and 6 in Figs. 3, 4. and 5frespectively.

The sets of corrugated sheets are then placed within a ca'singiand so connected to inlet. and discharge pipes or ducts that one medium is passed longitudinally through the parallel ducts formed by g the corrugated sheets and the second medium which .is to be brought into heat exchange relation with the first medium is passed transversely of the corrugations through the ducts formed by the spacers 3, 4, 5 and/or 6.

The corrugated sheets not only serve as a retardant to the passage of the medium passing transversely of the parallel corrugations but expose an immense area of heat exchanging surface. The spacers may be formed into any suitable configuration which permits varying the size of the air spaces or the distance between the envelopes or sets of sheets. This varying of the size of the circulating space between the'envelopes or sets of corrugated sheets is occasioned by the requirements of different installations. Also the enlargement ofthe space reduces the air fri'c-' tion.

spacing elements, difliculty wasexperienced due to distortion of the corrugated sheets to the extent that they would not lie close together and required high pressure and heavy Where embossments were "relied'upon as tie channels or angles to get even a fair average contact between the envelopes. Also there was a limit to the number of sheets which it "was possible to make up into one heat exchanger, and care had to be taken that the sheets were properly supported in addition'to the embossments to prevent flattening of embossed spacers. In the present method the corrugated sheets are not embossed and are not distorted. They may be piled up easily and can be made to lieclosely'with the spacing elements interposed as shown, making satisfactory joints and less waste of welding material. The corrugated spacing elements or strips being narrow andlight, easily adapt themselves to the sheet corrugations.

It is obvious also that the air spaces may.

' be divided into two or more ducts for the purpose' of recirculation, by merely putting in rows of spacing strips where desired. Furthermore, a considerable saving of labor is effected by handling the small strips through the embossing dies to form and corrugate them instead of handling the full 'size corrugated sheets to, impose spacer embossments thereon.

The present construction also eliminates the pockets formed by embossing in the parallel tube-like members, thus leaving smooth, oval, tube-like ducts, free from projections or depressions in which soot has no opportunity to build up and obstruct the passageway.

It is recognized as old in the art to place corrugated sheets in the manner shown as a heat exchanger as disclosed in the British Patent No. 9,927 of 1903, but it is considered new to use separate spacers between the cor: rugated sheets and to have these spacers conform to the eonvolutions or corrugations of the sheets.

in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are shown modified configurations for the spacer bars. These modifications may be necessitated by the enlargement of the space between the sets of sheets orenvelopes.

I claim as my invention 1. A heat exchanger comprising sets 9.1..

corrugated sheets positioned to form separate tubular passageways between theindividual sheets, said sets arrangedto have the surface corrugations conform with the corrugations of adjoining sets of sheets, and separate spacer elements conforming with the corrugations of the sets of sheets'for holding the sets of sheets in spaced apart relation.

2. A heat exchanger comprising sets of corrugated sheets positioned to form tubular passageways between the individual sheets, said sets arranged to have the surface corrugations conform with the corrugations of adjoining sets of sheets, and separate spacer elements running transversely of the corrugations and spaced to conform with the corrugations of the sets of sheets for holding the sets of sheets in spaced apart relation.

I WALTER BENSON PHILLIPS. 

